by Rebecca Suzuki, TSS Group Team Member In one interview after another, women shared stories of injuries to their heads and necks during intimate partner violence (IPV) – injuries that likely disrupted the normal function of the brain. Across interviews, a pattern emerged: survivors often described multiple lifetime injuries that met screening criteria for a ..read more

For the service providers and survivors with whom our research team works, for our team, for colleagues and students, for friends and loved ones…it has been a very long week. A long 10 days, really, during which rapidly unfolding events have sowed chaos, confusion, and fear. A palpable overwhelm has left many feeling small and ..read more

by Amber Fredrick, TSS Group Member, 2nd Year Graduate Student In my time as an advocate, I have spent many long nights in emergency rooms and early mornings in court rooms working with survivors to get the care they need. In navigating these complicated systems that often leave survivors feeling confused, overwhelmed, and frustrated, I ..read more

On behalf of the Traumatic Stress Studies Group, our gratitude to the community partners and survivors who light the way. Thank you for the opportunity to collaborate with you to build a better world together. Wishing you peace and community during this season of gratitude ..read more

by Courtney McCrimmon, 4th Year Graduate Student From Bench to Bedside and Beyond: Advancing Translational Science in Traumatic Stress Studies — that was the theme for the 40th Annual International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS) Meeting in Boston, MA this past September. The ISTSS Annual Meeting offers a forum for researchers to share evidence-based ..read more

by Leah Waltrip (2nd Year TSS Group Member, Clinical/DCN Graduate Student) This past June, I found myself frantically packing an absurdly large, 75-pound suitcase with just about everything you could need for a 6-week trip. I have always gone through life being overprepared. I am the person whose car is stocked with hand lotion and ..read more

A lifetime or so ago, I sat around a conference table with folks from the Rocky Mountain Victim Law Center (RMvlc) and several community- and system-based agencies who worked with crime victims and survivors in Denver. The group was interested in responding to a solicitation from the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) to make the case that Denver should be a demonstration site for building wraparound legal services for crime victims and survivors. RMvlc took the lead and Denver got the grant. And eventually, those early conference-room aspirations became the Legal Information Network of Colorad ..read more

One day, shortly after hard copies of Every 90 Seconds arrived with their periwinkle covers to my doorstep, I rounded the corner into the office I share with my spouse and stopped short. I heard familiar words — words that sounded a lot like my words — in someone else’s voice. The voice was Susan Bennett’s and the recording was a beautiful narration of Every 90 Seconds. My spouse had downloaded and was playing the then-newly released audiobook. Among the many things that have surprised me on this journey with Every 90 Seconds, my reaction to hearing Bennett narrate the text was one. I suddenly ..read more

Last week wrapped up Sexual Assault Awareness Month (#SAAM) for 2024. During SAAM, I shared images on social media that amplified themes from Every 90 Seconds about moving from individual awareness of the problem of sexual assault to collaborative action. With this remix, the images now appear together in the gallery below. Behind the scenes, I created each social media image from photos that I took during weekend walks around Denver and travels across the country. Chasing light on walks with my camera in tow rejuvenates and inspires me. I hope that comes through and offers you some inspiratio ..read more

I love Denim Day. And I’ve finally figured out why. Denim Day comes around once a year during April’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month – typically the last Wednesday of the month. Maybe you were among the people last week around the globe (including my home state of Colorado) who arrived in schools and workplaces, parks and stores, living rooms and hallways wearing jeans. Maybe you accessorized with teal (the official color for Sexual Assault Awareness Month) or buttons that declared “Consent is Sexy” or “I [heart] survivors.” Or maybe you wondered why so many people were wearing ..read more